Inboard roller bearing unit



Dec. 7, 1937.

2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1934 Z 86 m IH mm m QM! QM a mm! Qb QM,@W m m a Q QM NJ NM i mm 2 ii N\ \K mw mm Q 2 Q Gm Q mm Qm s Dec. 7,1937. A. H. OELKERS INBOARD ROLLER BEARING UNIT Filed Dec. 15, 1934 2Sheets-Sheet 2 @m mmm @mm QmM QNN mm mm m mum mm wow 4. Nmm llllllllIIITIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILI|||l||ll|F|| |||lI1 llI|||| mmm mmm. mwm mIiillillliiiiilliitl III gm 4/ Gm mmm mum 8m wmm mmm Em @Nm now w @m QQNPatented Dec. 7, 1937 UNITED STATES INBOARD ROLLER BEARING UNIT AlfredH. Oelkers, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American Steel Foundries,Chicago, 111., a corporation or New Jersey Application December 15, M34,Serial No. 157,59!

12v Claims.

This invention relates in general to wheel and axle assemblies and moreparticularly to a roller bearing wheel and axle assembly of theso-called inboard type in which the load is carried upon the axles atpoints intermediate the wheels,

One object of the invention is to provide a novel wheel and axleassembly which is adapted for use in existing cars or locomotives oi theinboardtype.

The invention is contemplated. to be used in existing car or locomotivetrucks of the inboard type and is so designed that such existing trucksmay be converted without other structural changes.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate a great deal of thelabor and expense at present involved in the maintenance of such inboardtrucks due to excessive wear between rubbing parts.

. The invention further contemplates roller bearings carried within theplane of the wheels whereby the loads are transferred directly throughthe wheel to the rail. This arrangement provides a short overhangbetween the point oi" load application from the car bodyto the axle andthe point at which the load is carried on the rail.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a roller bearing truckof the inboard type in which bearing adjustment will be secured when thewheel is shrunk on the axle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel form ofanti-friction wheel and axle assembly having an inner and outer axle inwhich lateral thrusts will be transmitted from a load carrying memberdirectly through a bearer sleeved on one. axle to the bearing and thewheel.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a novel formofanti-friction wheel and axle assembly of a type having an inner rotaryaxle and an outer normally stationary axle wherein lateral thrusts willbe transmitted from a load carrying member directly to said bearingthrough one of the race members thereoi.

In the drawings which illustrate embodiments of the invention andwherein like reference characters are used to designate like parts-Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of one form of wheel and axleassembly embodying the havention;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of another wheel and axle assemblyembodying the present invention; and

Figure 3 is a view in cross section oi another form of wheel and axleassembly embodying the present invention.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, the embodiment disclosedin Figure 1 will first be described. It will be understood, of-- course,that the construction is the same for both sides of the wheel and axleassembly and therefore only one-half of each embodiment is shown in thedrawings. In this embodiment the inner axle 2 has mounted upon its endsthe wheels generally designated t. The inner axle 2 may be solid iidesigned to carry very heavy loads or tubular, as shown in thisembodiment, if designed for light loads. The outer axle or housingmember t is of straight tubular design and may be of standard commercialshape. The ends of the outer axle may be machined to provide a smoothbearing portion for the journal bearer or brass t which receives theload of the super-imposed journal box seating portion it mounted;thereon. The truck frame (not shown) may be carried on elliptic springsgenerally indicated at it secured by a spring band it and resting uponthe journal box seating portion it through the medium of shim v or wearplate it.

The machined end portion of the outer axle will include that part whichreceives the roller bearing generally indicated at it as well as thesleeve or collar it which may be, shrunk or pressed on as desired. Thewheel t is shown as having a hub portion it which may be pressed on theends of the inner axle i and is provided with a cavity within which thebearing it may be received. lhis cavity may be sealed by the closureplate it which is secured to the hub portion it by means of a series ofbolts it and lock nuts it. The lubricant recess it thus formed may befilled from the outside of the assembly through the duct it which may beclosed by the plug it. The outer wheel portion it may be secured uponthe hub portion it as by a press fit and positioned thereupon by theshoulder it forming an integral part of the hub portion. The bearinggenerally indicated by the numeral it includes the outer raceway memberor cup it which is received within the bearing recess of the hub portionas by a press fit; the inner race member it which may be pressed uponthe end of the outer axle and positioned thereon by the integralshoulder it abutting against the end of the outer axle; a series ofrollers it having the general shape of a frustum of a right cone; andthe cage til serving as a retainer for the rollers.

Abutting the inner end of the cone is the lubricant deflector it held inplace between the cone and the sleeve or collar it. The sleeve it isprovided with an annular groove 5t within which the snap ring it may besecured to prevent the ingress of dirt and moisture between said collarand the closure plate it. The closure plate it is provided with anannular groove 58 which together with the lubricant deflector 5t acts toretain the lubricant.

It will be observed that the inner race member or cone of the bearing ispositioned upon the outer axle by the abutment of the shoulder M againstthe end of said axle. Since the outer face of the outer race member orcup abuts against the shoulder of the hub portion 22 as at lid,adjustment of the bearings may be effected at the time the wheels arepressed upon the inner axle, and said adjustment will'be retained untilthe wheels are removed from the inner axle. It may be further noted thatthe outer wheel portions 2t may-be removed and replaced, as willnormally be necessary because of tread wear, without disturbing theposition of the hub portion 22 upon the inner axle.

It is to be observed that the Journal bearer i! will normally be someanti-friction material such as brass and it will therefore be slidableupon the normally stationary outer axle as lateral thrusts may require.In such movement the journal bearer 8 will abut against the collar 22 asat 52 and the lateral thrust will be transmitted to the rail through theouter axle, the bearing proper, the wheel and wheel flange.

The embodiment of this invention disclosed in Figure 2 is generallysimilar to that shown in Figure 1 with exceptions which will be noted.

The inner axle I02 has wheels ltd mounted upon its ends. The outer axleNit is of tubular form and may be ofcommercial shape as that describedin the embodiment shown in Figure l. The end portions of the outer axleI06 may be machined to provide a smooth fit for the sleeved 'bearer I00designed to be pressed or shrunk on the outer axle as may be desired.This sleeved bearer I08 has a wide annular groove Itiil defined by theannular shoulders III and M3 within which will be received a brassbearer of the usual standard design, thus receiving vertical load andthrusts from the car body through the medium of a. truck frame andjournal box assembly (not shown).

The roller bearing assembly generally designated as H8 is receivedwithin a recess of the wheel hub portion I22 and the recess may besealed by the closure plate I24 which is secured to the hub portion I22by a series of bolts I25 and associated lock nuts I28. Access to thelubricant cavity I30 thus formed is provided through the duct I32 whichmay be closed by the plug or fitting I34. The outer; wheel portion 188may be pressed upon the 'hub portion I22 as by a press tit andpositioned thereon by the integral shoulder I38.

The bearing I I8 includes the outer race or cup I40 which may be pressedwithin the wheel hub portion; the inner race member or cone I42 which ismounted upon the outer axle I68 and positioned thereon by abutmentagainst the sleeved bearer I08; and a series of rollers I46 held inposition by the cage or retainer member I48.

The lubricant, deflector I50 may be snapped into position in the grooveII formed between the inner face of the cone I42 and the annularshoulder I53 of the sleeved bearer I08. An annular inner groove I58 ofthe closure plate I24 k acts together with the deflector I60 and thelabyrinth passage I55 to retain the lubricant and prevent the ingress offoreign matter.

This modification difiers from that shown in Figure 1 in that thesleeved bearer I86 is used in placeof the bearer 8 and the collar 20 ofthe modification shown in Figure 1. In the modification of Figure 2 theinner face of the cone I42 abuts against the outer face of the sleevedbearer I08 as at I62 and is positioned thereby. -The outer race or coneI40 is positioned by the abutment of its outer face against the shoulderof aroused the wheel hub piece as at I50. It will be obvious thereforethat adjustment of the bearing will be efiected at the time the wheelhub portion is pressed on the inner axle I02.

In this embodiment lateral thrusts will be transmitted from the car bodythrough sleeved bearer I22 and transmitted to the rail through the outeraxle I05, the bearing proper lit, the wheel and the wheel flange.Thrusts in both directions will be transmitted by the sleeved bearersltd on each end of the outer axle H30.

For the purposes of actual operation the outer axle I25, the sleevedbearer I08 and the cone por tion N2 of the bearing act as a singleintegral member.

The modification shown in Figure 3 has a structure generally similar tothat shown in Figures 1 and 2 with detail variations which will benoted.

Wheels generally designated 202 are mounted upon the ends of the inneraxle 202. The outer axle 2% may be machined at its ends to provide asmooth fit as at 207 for the reception of a bearer or load carryingmember similar to the brass 2 shown in Figure 1, thereby supporting theweight of a car body through the medium of any usual design of truckframe and spring suspension.

The bearing assembly generally designated as 2 I 8 is received withinthe cavity of the wheel hub portion 222 and the said cavity may besealed by the closure plate 22d which is secured to the wheel hubportion by a series of bolts 226 and associated lock nuts 228. Thiscavity 230 serves as a lubricant chamber and access. is provided theretothrough the duct 232 which may be closed by the plug or fitting 234.

The outer wheel portion 236 may be pressed upon the hub portion andpositioned thereon against the integral shoulder 238.

The bearing 2I8 comprises an outer race member or cup 240; an inner raceor cone 242 having the integral annular shoulder, 244 abutting againstthe end of the outer axle 206 as at 245; and a series of rollers 246retained by the cage 248. The lubricant deflector 250 is of the designdescribed in Hedgcock Patent No. 1,975,640, Serial No. 478,124; and maybe snapped into position in the annular groove 252 formed on the outercircumi'erence of the cone member 240. The spring ring 258 may likewisebe snapped into position in the annular groove 254 similarly formed onthe outer periphery of the cone member 240. These parts together withthe annular flange 255 and the annular groove 258 formed on the innerperiphery of the closure plate 224 provide a labyrinth passage whichacts to retain the lubricant within its cavity and to prevent theingress of foreign matter. Since the cone member 240 of the bearing 2"!abuts against the shoulder of the wheel hub member 222 as at 260 and theintegral shoulder 244 of the cone member 242 abuts against portion asoften as may be desirable because of normal wheel tread wear.

. In this modification lateral thrusts from a load carrying member suchas the brass 8 of Figure 1 will be received against the inner end of thecone member 242 as at "I and transmitted to limited by the exactembodiments of'the device shown, which are merely by way of illustrationand not limitation, as various and other forms of the device will oicourse be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim: t 1. In a wheel and axle assembly a rotary axle, a wheel fixedthereon, a normally non-rotary axle, a single course anti-frictionbearing mounted on said non-rotary axle and comprising a cup racemounted within said wheel and a cone race sleeved on said non-rotaryaxle, said cone race compris ing an integral shoulder abutting the endof said non-rotary axle and.- means extending inwardly of said wheel forabutment oi the load carrying member. r

2. In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle, anouter axle, a wheel mounted on said inner axle, an anti iricti'onraceway mounted on said outer .axle and comprising integral meansabutting the end of said outer axle and other integral means extendininward- 1y of the vertical plane defining said wheel for abutment ofa'load carrying member.

3. In an anti-friction wheel and axle assembly the combination of aninner rotary axle, an outer normally non-rotaryaitlaa single courseantifriction bearing comprising an inner race sleeved on said outer axleand hiving an integral annular shoulder abutting the end of said outeraxle. and other integral means for abutment of g a load carrying member.

4 In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle, an.outer axle, a wheel mounted on said inner axle, a single course anti-.

friction bearing mounted within the plane oi said wheel and comprisingan inner raceway mounted on saidouteraxle, anouter raceway mountedwithin said wheel, rollers therebetween, a load carrying membersupported on said outer axle, abutment means integral with said innerraceway preventing inward movement thereof,-

and means transmitting lateral thrusts from said way. 7

5. In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle, anouter axle, a wheel mounted on said inner axle, a single courseantifriction bearing mounted or: the end of said outer axlewithin theplane of said wheel andcomprising a cone having inte'gra' l meansabuttingthe end or said axle, a load carrying member supported-on'saidouter axle, and means providing abutment between said load member andsaid cone.

6. In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle, anouter axle, a wheel mounted on said inner axle, a single course anti-efriction bearing mountedon said outer axle within the plane of saidwheel and'comprlsing a cone race having integral means abutting theendoi said outer axle, a load member supported on said outer axle, andmeans integrally formed with said cone extending outwardly oi the-planeof said wheel for abutment withsaid load carrying member.

7. In a wheel and axle assembly the combinabers providing abutment withthe other of said members.

d. In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle, anouter axle, a wheel mounted on said inner axle, a single courseantiiriction bearing mounted on the end of-said outer axle within theplane of said wheel and comprising a race member mounted'on the end ofsaid outer axle, a load carrying member slidably supported on said outeraxle, and integral means on one of said members abutting the other ofsaid members, whereby lateral thrusts are transmitted from said loadcarrying member directly through said bearing to said wheel.

' 9. In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle, anouter axle, a wheel mounted on said inner axle, a single courseantifriction bearing mounted on said outer axle within the plane of saidwheel and comprising a, race member having integral means in abutmentwith the end oi said outer axle, a load carrying member slidablysupported on said outer axle, and means integral with one of saidmembers providing abutment for the other of said members, wherebylateral thrusts are transmitted directly from said load carrying memberto said bearing.

10. In a wheel and axle assembly for a railway car truck the combinationof an inner axle, a wheel mounted on the end thereof, an outer axle, asingle course anti-friction bearing comprising a race member mounted onthe end oi said outer axle within the plane of said wheel,

' a load carrying member slidably supported adjatransmitting lateralthrusts between said members, and other abutment means integrally formedon said race member for transmitting lateral thrusts therefrom to theend of said outer axle. loadcarrying member directly tosaid inner race-I 11. In a wheel and axle assembly for a railway car truck'thecombination of an inner axle, a wheel mounted on the end thereof, anouter axle, a single course anti-friction bearing mount-.

ed on the end of said outer axle within the plane oi said wheel, a? loadcarrying member slidably supoprted adjacent the end of said outer axle,abutment means transmitting lateral thrusts direetly from said loadcarrying member to said bearing, and other means formed on said bearingsfor abutment against the end 01' said outer axle.

12. In a wheel and axle assembly the combination of an inner axle,wheels fixed thereon, an

outer axle, single course anti-friction bearings mounted thereon withinthe planes of said wheels and comprising thrust means abutting the ends01' said outer axle, load carrying memfor abutment

